As per code leaks shared by 9to5Mac, there’s evidence in the tvOS 11 firmware that the Siri Remote model number has jumped from “B239” to “B429”, indicating an imminent refresh.

Furthermore, Brazilian developer Guilherme Rambo has found references to “actuator calibration” and “force calibration” in the firmware that could indicate haptic feedback coming to the next-generation Siri Remote, perhaps by way of a miniaturized Taptic Engine.

The new remote hardware identifier was discovered in the Siri Remote firmware itself, which is separate from the current Siri Remote. 9to5Mac clarifies that a change in model number does not necessarily mean that new hardware is on its way.

Nevertheless, conventional wisdom teaches us that an updated Siri Remote should be bundled with the new Apple TV 4K. As iDownloadBlog first reported last week, the existing Siri Remote is on a serious backorder, with 1-2 week shipping delay in most countries.

I wasn’t a big fan of Apple TV until a fourth-generation model came along, which won me over with its hardware improvements and App Store. I couldn’t be more excited for Apple TV 4K although I’m not sure my wallet will withstand purchasing a 4K television set to go with it.